The Shree Guru Narasimha Temple at Saligrama in Udupi district of Karnataka is one of the most revered temples in the state. The idol of Lord Sri Guru Narasimha is carved out of Saligrama rock and has a history of more than a thousand years.

On an average, the footfall in the temple varies from 500 to 4,000 on Saturdays. With more and more people visiting the temple, the water waste that was being generated grew to be one of the biggest challenges to tackle. The wastewater discharge was ruining the agricultural fields in the vicinity.

To address this growing problem, the temple authorities decided to install a wastewater recycling plant within the temple premises by using the latest technology. It has been a month since they have installed a treatment plant called Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR). Installed by a Bengaluru-based company, the plant can treat 50,000 litres of wastewater every day.

“All the wastewater goes into a tank, where it is treated and gets purified and later discharged,” Nagaraja, Manager of Saligrama Shree Guru Narasimha Temple, told The Logical Indian.

The plant has been set up using Rs 30 Lakh which has been partially sponsored by Karnataka Bank Ltd.

“The water that is recycled is used to water the flowering plants in the gardens,” said Nagaraja.

This is the only temple in Udupi to install a water treatment plant. Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district installed a 25 lakh litre/day wastewater recycling plant a few years ago.

What is SBR?

SBR is a type of wastewater treatment process which uses activated sludge method. The sewage water is sent into the system in batches. This water is aerated, which means oxygen is pumped to reduce the organic matter. Once the sludge is separated, the clean water is pumped out. The SBR process has been successfully applied to more than 1,300 plants in the U.S., Canada, and Europe within the last 25 years.

The Logical Indian appreciates the initiative of the temple for addressing the issue of wastewater affecting the surrounding and take action to bring about a positive change.